About three years ago, when the disgraced social media commentator Blessing Okoro was celebrating her thirtieth birthday, she astonished Nigerians. To the surprise of those who personally know and do not know her, she unveiled a new 7-bedroom duplex which she claimed she built with her hard-earned income. As Nigerians started reacting and casting doubts on her claims on social media, she went ahead to share a building plan and subsequently shared a video of the building. It was at this point, the legitimate owner, Onye Eze, an Igbo businessman based in China got wind of her false claims and decided to do something before “play play turn to eat and go.” Blessing Okoro was “arrested in handcuffs” and made to declare that the said building was not hers and that it belonged to Onye Eze. I remembered this incident when I saw the video of Nigeria’s top comedian Alibaba decrying the misleading information and way of life that many Nigerian actresses showcase to deceive the younger generation.

In Alibaba’s narrative he talked about an actress without mentioning her name, that was allegedly taken to Dubai by her man friend whose protocol (aide) handed over her hotel room keys while he was still at the scene. This same lady, a few days later, started sharing images on social media with misleading messages about this Dubai trip. To many in the know in Nigeria, this is not an unknown phenomenon. Many can even attest to the fact that some so-called established female entertainers will be found wanting if the details of their dealing are brought into the limelight. The issue is not that these Nigerian female actresses do not have sustainable sources of income. The bone of contention is that their lifestyle cannot be sustained by their known sources of income. Sources of income are not top secret even in a country like Nigeria where financial records are not easily gotten. It is easy to see the hustling of Omoni Oboli and the volumes of work she dishes out every year to estimate her yearly income. It is not difficult to see the sources of income of Nigeria’s top female entertainers like Tems and RealWarriPikin. Yet, these are the ones that will not flaunt an unsustainable lifestyle on social media.

Many will not mention it, but prostitution is at the center of Alibaba’s outburst. Many of these actresses who within five years of doing less than 5 notable movies, are seen buying properties in the millions, raises a lot of unanswered questions. As Alibaba rightly asked, even if each movie comes with a five-million-naira profit, which is almost impossible, these actresses can still not afford the cars and buildings they are flaunting. Some actresses have accused Alibaba of sexism but will not be able to ignore the truthfulness of his concern. We are living in troubling times where the likes of Blessing Okoro with a record of failed relationships, are the “relationship experts” that the media promote. We live in cities, towns, and villages where those who are known Advance Fee Fraud kingpins and even kidnappers get chieftaincy titles. Even presidential candidates now denigrate the dignity of labour. Where do we go from here? I believe one of the surest ways forward is to vote in political leaders with known records and sources of income, from local government councillors to the presidency.

Ata Ukuta, Editor – Towncryyers